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Prawns
The prawns, aliens, '''or ''non-humans ''of District 9 are a spacefaring race of sentient beings, with highly advanced technology and spaceship engineering. Their reasons for coming and/or colonizing on Earth are unknown so far. The non-humans are bipedal, several feet taller than humans, and have dark thick shell-like skin as well of facial tendrils. It is hypothesized that these tendrils are somehow involved in the mastication process, but it has not been proven. These aliens are also very strong. At one point in the movie, a prawn takes hold of an MNU soldier's arms, and places his foot on his chest. He kicks outward, resulting in the soldier's arms being ripped off, as well as sending him flying several yards back. The name "prawn" is a derogatory term used for the non-humans. It comes from the resemblance their faces bear to that of a prawn's, and is meant to imply that they are bottom feeders, just scavenging about and basically, living off of the waste of everybody else. In District 9, the prawns are greatly oppressed by the MNU Security Force. They have very little rights in District 9, all of which are closely monitored, regulated, and enforced by the MNU. '''Weaponry The non-humans have a variety of extremly-powerful, energy weapons. The weapons can only be activated by alien DNA, which means that no human can use them (with the sole exeption of Wikus). The weapons shown in the film are mostly energy-based, but several clips show some kind of grenade-launcher. At one point, you can see that Christopher used one that appears to handle like an assault rifle when he and Wikus stormed MNU headquarters. The most well known weapon is the ARC gun. It fires a huge charge of electricity to its target, similar to a bolt of lightning, heating the target enough to cause extreme burns and rapid molecular expansion of gas and fluid. In a soft biological or animal target, an ARC gun strike can result in a catastrophic explosion. But even a near miss can cause superficial burns and keep an enemy subdued, and bolts landing in the vicinity of a target can cause some area damage as electric current disperses into all nearby conducting bodies. As such, with the ARC gun, the non-humans in District 9 hold the power of lightning in their hands. Although most of the known ARC guns have been confiscated by the MNU to help keep the humans safe, they are one of several non-human weapons floating around the black market. Eating Habits Prawns, unlike humans, eat almost all of their food raw. They appear to be primarily carnivorous, as per the large amount of meat dealers in District 9. They also have a strong liking of cat food, eating it when meats are too expensive or unavailable. In many deals with the local human gangs, non-humans will trade their weapons and technology in exchange for large amounts of cat food. Cat food has the same effect with the non-humans as catnip does with cats, but far more intense. When purchasing their food, the prawns are more often than not ripped off. Dealers overprice the meats and cat food, making it hard for the non-humans to get food. When buying food is not an option, they will rummage through garbage in search of anything edible. Another unusual eating habit is their liking to rubber. Prawns have been seen fighting over car tires because they enjoy the taste and texture of rubber. Physiology Prawns are bipedal sentient beings with a structure that bears a strong resemblance to arthropods. They have exoskeletons and a more insect-like build, possessing clawed mandibles, antennae, and segmented exoskeleton plating. Usually, non-humans are dark, earth-toned colors. However, some of them have bright red, yellow, or blue striped patterns across their bodies. They also possess another pair of arms which resides around the abdominal area, but the use for them is currently unknown and has yet to be seen. Category:Species Category:District 9